As the Senate prepares to conduct its markup of the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill on Thursday, sheriffs and other law enforcement officials have joined forces to oppose the legislation on the grounds that it, in their opinion, makes the current system of immigration law worse than it would “be a significant barrier to the creation of a safe and lawful system of immigration.”

In a letter (below) that was delivered to every member of Congress in both the House and the Senate on Thursday, National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers chairman Zack Taylor, National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council president Chris Crane and at least 30 sheriffs nationwide argued the bill would make America’s broken immigration laws worse off than they already are.

“Driven by mere speculation that S. 744 may be enacted by Congress, illegal border crossings have spiked dramatically,” the law enforcement figures wrote.